Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-03-18
High License.
Editor Vlndic0tor.:

| Editor Vindicator:
I desire to reply to your article upon High
| License" in your issue of Feb. 25th--not
| that 1 believe the City Council would be so
| unwise as to act upon the ad vice given there,
| but because l know there are some good and
| sensible people who have not the opportunity
| perhaps, to read upon more than one side OF
| the ques ion, or if they do are so bent upon
revenue" that they would raise it at any
| cost, and your assertions concerning Provi-
dence, Maine, &C., might mislead them. Re-
gardlug Prohibition in Rhode Island, this
| very Providence Journal from which you
| quote gives as reason for no greater reduce
| ton in the numb of arrests, that under
| the prohibitory law the police are notified to
| bring in all persons found intoxicated, instead
of helping some to their homes as was for
| merly done." It adds, statistics show that
| the number of more serious offences has
| greatly diminished, and when it is considered
| that these heavier offences are due to the in
| fiuence of liquor i'll almost all cases. it will be
seen that the law has had not only direct
| affecti in decreasing the amount drunkenness,
but has also lessened the number of more
serious crimes which grew out of drunken
ness" But l refer you to the Report of the
Chief of State Police of Rhode Island, G. R.
Br yton, made to the General Assembly, Feb.
| 8, 1881
''The comparative statistics given herewith
| from the cities and larger towns, which is a
fair test of the operation of the Act for the
Suppression of Intemperance, show marked
decrease in drunkenness, revealing, common
| drunkards and other offences directly charge.
| able to the Incorporate use of intoxicating
| liquors.
1.-The statistics from the city of Providence
show an increase of drunkenness during the
Lost h1 Nf l.. -E 4
| cent while during the first six months of Pro-
hibition, as compared with the corresponding
| period under license. drunkenness decreased
| more than 42 per cent.
"The commitments to the State Workhouse
whose inmates are largely victims of the intem-
| perate use of intoxicating liquors, for the
! first six months under Prohibition, as COM
| pared with the corresponding period under
| license, show falling off of more than one
| half, and resulting in large saving to the
State in the item of board alone.
"The GROWER or the tin-kettle trade, has
almost entirely disapp AIRED from the Streets
| and children are not now seen frequenting
liquor saloons for supplies of liquor as before
| Prohibition went into effect,
"Many family that never saw penny
OF the weekly earnings of its head now receives
| the full benefits of his labor.
Much good has been accomplished already;
more can be with the law amended as recon-
| mended, and by a renewal of the interest by
| the friends of Prohibition throughout the
| State.''
That the citizens would not have the law
repealed has just been proven by the fact
| that only 500 signatures could be obtained
| TO petitions asking for re.submission of the
prohibition Amendment presented to the
| Rhode Island Legislature, and that these
| petitions were unanimously rejected by that
| body.
! Concerning Maine, Jas. G.. Blaine says
"lntemperapce has steadily decreased since
the first enactment of the prohibitory law,
until now it cap be said with truth that there
] 10 no equal number of people in the Anglo
Saxon world among whom SO small an amount
| OF intoxicating liquor is consumed as among
| the $50, 900 Inhabitants of Maine" Rev. DIR.
Burgess, Bishop of the Episcopal church in
| Maine says: The prohibitory law has been
| generally executed, and the amount of intoxi-
cation has been in consequence wonderfully
reduced" A. NJ, French, Overseer of the
| poar, Oxford, Me-, says; "Not liquor
| saloon here. What is the consequences? We
| have in our institution only one pauper, and
blindness put him there" Rev. j. P. War.
! rem, d. D., President of Maine Law & Order
League, LAS to the benefits which this pro-
hibitory law, imperfectly executed as it some
| times has been, has conferred upon this City
| and State l can only say, that in our opinion
| they arg aaesEmable," Gov Chamberlain
| said "The laws against intoxicating liquors
are as well executed and obeyed as the laws
against unchastity and murder" The most
| ultra Proh1bitionist suppose, never claimed
that this law ''stops," "puts an end tor liquor
selling any more than be claims that the
laws against burglary and murder keep men
from breaking these laws every day. No
| sane man ever expected the Lord to work q
miracle and instantaneously to change the
heart of the liquor seller, SO that he should
make no further attempt to carry on bust
| ness which is the only source of livelihood to
him, even if he had to disobey the law to do
SO, Society must have time to adjust itself
to the new order Of things. Liquor sellers
must find new occupations, and no one desires
I their prosperity in new and less harmful
occupations more sincerely than the writer of
this article. But, Mr.. Editor, you declare
that ..saloon- keepers oppose high license"
Three OF fur years aga when this subject yss
arst agitated in our town, ! was told by q
gentleman (friepd of the saloon-keepersl that
he had talked with number of them, and
''they were all in favor OF a high-licenss law"
Of course he alluded to the more thriving
class, who would rejoice in the opportunity
to monopolize, and crush out the minor
saloonn. But it is only when prohibitory
law is agitated that we syes t.eaF Word ahogt
high license; then the profsssed friendg ri OF
temperance rise up to help the cause-(why
haven't they pressed this measure long age p
and saw; s'Weli. we'd better have half loaf
|, than none at air. How, mr.. Eaitpr, deny
I'LL, 1;aanca half loaf n is d bfo,se =